<p>Oklahoma haven't been enjoying themselves as much as they were earlier in the season, finding it hard to replicate the success they had at the very beginning of the campaign when defending their NBA championship.</p> <p>Of course, the Lakers aren't a team that can be taken lightly. With star players all across the court, they remain in a postseason spot, despite the inconsistencies that have hit JJ Redick's crop of players.</p> <p>Still, this game offers value, so what are our top Lakers vs Thunder betting predictions?</p> <h2>Quick Picks</h2> <p><strong>Our pick:</strong> Lakers to win</p> <p><strong>Value bet:</strong> LeBron to score 20+ points</p> <p><strong>Long shot:</strong> Lakers to win by 11+ points</p> <h2>Betting Preview</h2> <p>With the quality that is on court, there's a lot to like from a betting perspective about this game. Even though OKC have been banged up recently, their backups have been performing admirably on the court.</p> <p>In their recent game against the Spurs, they were without <strong>Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein, Alex Caruso</strong>, and <strong>Ajay Mitchell</strong>. They lost (as the Spurs have been a bogey team this year), but players like <strong>Kenrich Williams</strong> and <strong>Jaylin Williams</strong> kept things tight.</p> <p>Of course, it's impossible to count the Lakers out. They have players like<strong> Luka Doncic</strong> (MVP leader), <strong>LeBron James, Austin Reaves</strong>, and<strong> Deandre Ayton</strong> available. With playmakers like this on the court, it's strangely odd that the team has struggled to remain consistent this season. If you're new to <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/punter-iq/guide/how-to-bet-on-the-nba">how to bet on the NBA</a>, understanding team depth and player availability is crucial.</p> <h2>Betting Markets to Watch</h2> <p>When looking at the betting markets to be wary of in this game, it's worth considering the fact that Oklahoma haven't travelled well to Los Angeles in recent encounters.</p> <p>The Thunder have lost seven of the last 12 trips, suggesting the<strong> Los Angeles Lakers have an edge</strong> heading into this game.</p> <p>It's also worth noting that the results over the last five games have often been decided by large margins. These results were:</p> <ul> <li>Nov 2025: OKC 121-92 Lakers (29 points)</li> <li>Apr 2025: OKC 136-120 Lakers (16 points)</li> <li>Apr 2025: OKC 99-126 Lakers (27 points)</li> <li>Nov 2024: Lakers 93-101 OKC (8 points)</li> <li>Mar 2024: Lakers 116-104 OKC (12 points)</li> </ul> <p>Only one of these results have fallen in the 1-10 market in the Big Win Little Win bet. We think it's likely that this trend will continue, with the Lakers to win by 11+.</p> <h2>Our Prediction</h2> <p>Check the latest <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/basketball-us/nba">NBA betting odds</a> at Sportsbet.</p> <p>As highlighted above, our betting prediction is that the <strong>Lakers will likely win.</strong></p> <p>Despite OKC winning on their most recent visit to Los Angeles, they're seriously depleted, and will be definitely be without SGA for the contest. This will make a huge difference in the points numbers that they can put up, as he has averaged almost twice as many as the next best player on the team (Chet Holmgren, who is also injured). With SGA leading the <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/basketball-us/nba-player-awards">NBA MVP odds</a>, his absence is significant.</p> <p>For value, we think there's <strong>value in the points prop for LeBron.</strong> He has been surpassing 20+ points regularly over January and has managed to do it a couple of times already in February. We think 20+ points in this one is likely.</p> <h2>Keep Reading</h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/nba/tips">Our experts' latest NBA tips and predictions</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/nba/nba-news/nba-plus-minus-explained">The plus-minus stat and what it actually tells us</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/nba/nba-news/what-is-a-triple-double">Triple-doubles explained — and why they matter</a></li> </ul>